Then She Found Me

Rating:
Summary: Nothing Lacking
Review: "Then She Found Me" is the first novel that I have read by Elinor Lipman, and I have to say that I am impressed. Ms. Lipman's characters are very three dimensional and extremely believable; it is very easy to empathize with Bernice's mischievous tendencies and/or with April's kind heart and passivity. The character to character dynamics are certainly enticing, and kept me completely immersed in Lipman's world right up to the last word on the last page. I enjoy stories about people and I delight in clever narratives. If you share these traits, I think that you will enjoy this book. April Epner is a detached high school Latin teacher, recently orphaned by the death of her adoptive parents. She is comfortable with her humdrum, monotonous existence, and is settled into her thirty-six year old routine when Bernice Graverman comes crashing into her life. Bernice is a boisterous, sophisticated morning talk show host. She is also April's biological mother, and she has returned to dazzle April with her social prestige and to reclaim her role as "mother" in April's life. The only problem is that April has never been interested in finding Bernice. She is appalled at Bernice's extraordinary paternity claims, and wants nothing more than to remove Bernice from her life. "Then She Found Me" is the bizarre account of two polar opposites, short on self-esteem, looking for redemption in all the wrong places, and it is an excellent read.

Rating:
Summary: Glad I Found This Book
Review: A great read. Might particularly resonate with adoptees, but should be enjoyed by all gentle readers. To give you a good feel for the book, I'm going to quote one-half of my very favorite passage. If it doesn't make you want to read this book IMMEDIATELY, then this book isn't for you. Here goes:

"He held me and let me cry into his neck for what felt like hours. He produced a bubble bath somehow when I didn't even own the stuff. He found a tray and a bud vase and the makings of cinnamon toast. I told him I loved him, and not because I was vulnerable and hysterical and orphaned or because he was acting like a paid companion from the Visiting Nurses Association, but because he left school for me and never mentioned the leaving or getting back. 'You'd do it for me,' he said."

I liked Lipman's second book, "The Way Men Act," but not as much as this one. Her short story collection, "Into Love and Out Again" was pleasant, but her third novel, "Isabel's Bed," was a tedious bore. Because of how disappointed I was by "Isabel," I gave up on Lipman, and have not read her most recent couple of novels.

But I'll ALWAYS remember how glad I was that I found "Then She Found Me."

Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed this book very much
Review: A very well written book. The characters were so well drawn. I especially liked the romance. It is rare to read of a romance in a novel today between two people who are not "beautiful people", that is, not rich, or gorgeous, or especially successful, but just people like most of us!

Rating:
Summary: Quirky but endearing characters make for an appealing read
Review: April, a lonely teacher with a quiet life, grew up happily in an adoptive family. Shortly after the death of her adoptive parents, however, she is contacted by Bernice, a flashy talk show host who claims to be her real mother. April is not the type of daughter Bernice expected to find, and Bernice is not exactly the birth mother who April dreamed about for years. Their reunion is sometimes stormy but ultimately heartwarming; the additional plotline of April's romance only contributes to making the novel both humorous and touching.

Rating:
Summary: Quirky but endearing characters make for an appealing read
Review: April, a lonely teacher with a quiet life, grew up happily in an adoptive family. Shortly after the deaths of her beloved adoptive parents, however, she is contacted by Bernice, a flashy talk show host who claims to be her "real" mother. April is not the type of daughter Bernice expected to find, and Bernice is not exactly the birth mother about whom April dreamed for years. Their reunion is frequently funny, sometimes stormy, but ultimately heartwarming; when set against the backdrop of April's budding romance, it makes for a novel which is both humorous and touching. Lipman fans will not be disappointed, and those new to the author may very well go on to read some of her other works as I did.

Rating:
Summary: Then She Found Me
Review: From the first one I picked up, "Isabel's Bed" I read nothing but Elinor Lipman until I had gone through all of her books. "Then She Found Me" is an amusing story, a good read. I am sure any women that reads this book will find passages that she can relate to her own life. That is why Lipman's books are so amusing because they are a part of us all, or a part of something we would all like to be. I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an entertaining story, that is both funny and enlightening at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Then She Found Me
Review: From the first one I picked up, "Isabel's Bed" I read nothing but Elinor Lipman until I had gone through all of her books. "Then She Found Me" is an amusing story, a good read. I am sure any women that reads this book will find passages that she can relate to her own life. That is why Lipman's books are so amusing because they are a part of us all, or a part of something we would all like to be. I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an entertaining story, that is both funny and enlightening at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: A Favorite
Review: I adore this book; I read it a couple of times a year. It's wonderfully written, it's funny, it creates a world I love to experience. And the romance! It's the kind of relationship I would want myself--not the kind of high-flying, Heathcliff-and-Cathie stuff that would frankly be exhausting, but the warmth and affection of real people. I recommend it strongly!

Rating:
Summary: A book to make you laugh, but a book with great depth.
Review: I finished Isabel's bed and ran out to get another Lipman book. I wasn't disappointed in the least. I found this book to be a wonderful ride full of pathos & humor. The characters (in both books) are truly believable and quirky, the kind of people you would come to know and love. The story is so entertaining yet, touches deep truths with sensitivity, humor, astuteness and compassion. Elinor Lipman is brilliant as a writer and I think it is a mistake to think of her as a light comedy writer even though she is hysterical. I'd love to meet Ms. Lipman, she's wonderful at dialogue and I think we would laugh a lot.

Rating:
Summary: gentle humour, realistic romance
Review: I have read all of Elinor Lipman's books and am waiting for her to write another one! Like the previous reviewer, I have re-read this book many times and always enjoy being drawn into the story. One of the things I like best about this book is the way that Elinor Lipman can gently poke fun at exasperating characters (April's biological mother, Bernice) without being cruel. And the relationship between April and Dwight is one of the most realistic and touching I've read in a long time. Yes, I much prefer them to Cathy and Heathcliff!